Caleb's First Haircut

I finally broke down and took Caleb for his first haircut. I really loved his hair kind of long and curly...but it was getting to be fairly high maintenance...lots of time and product. I've learned a lot about ethnic hair in the last few months. Hair-care is a very big deal in the African American culture and Caleb's hair is very different from that of my Caucasian kids. The dear woman that cut Caleb's hair, Ms. Jackie, was so sweet to give us a lesson...explaining all about texture and curl, what to put in it, how often to cut it, etc. In my own unscientific survey, many Ethiopians seem to have hair that is not quite as coarse and curly as much African American hair...but still very different from mine nonetheless. There are a number of products to choose from, but leave-in-conditioner and hair butter seem to be the main needs...and obviously the process for little boys is much more simple than it is for little girls (hmmm....isn't this true for so many things). :)

Caleb actually handled his first haircut quite well. As you can see in the pictures, he wasn't thrilled...but he didn't shed a tear (each of my other kiddos cried during their first haircuts). At home, when he sees me coming with the conditioner and comb, he laughs and runs away...but then comes back and sits right in my lap while I comb through his hair. It is so cute and it is as if he already knows...this is just part of his life now - at least until he is older and we cut it much shorter. I love his new look...so handsome and grown up! I also love how he is looking at Ms. Jackie in the bottom picture...even with lollipop in-hand, he still isn't sure...